Reflection for Sunday August 30th, LIVING THE WORD

[Rev. Bob]

Living The Word, Not Just Speaking It
Reflection for 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Based on : Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8; Psalm 15, James 1:17-18, 21-27, Mark
7, 1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD, pastor Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
Reformed Catholic Church of New England
www.missionstsergius.org

The Gospel reading for today is most profound if you actually reflect
on it.
In it, Christ is admonishing the hierarchy of the Jewish people for
calling attention to the fact that Christ’s apostles were eating
without first cleansing their hands as Jewish Law required. Christ
tells them and all who were listening the following; “This people
honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do
they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' You
leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men. You
have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to
establish your tradition!” (Mark 7, 1-8, 14-15, 21-23)
Another reading earlier this week from Matthew 23 we hear Christ
saying “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the
chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but
do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do
them….You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you're in for
trouble! You give God a tenth of the spices from your garden, such as
mint, dill, and cumin. Yet you neglect the more important matters of
the Law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the
important things you should have done, though you should not have left
the others undone either. You blind leaders! You strain out a small
fly but swallow a camel.”
If we actually think about these readings, in combination with
Sunday‘s other readings, we might ask ourselves if they do not apply
to our religious hierarchy today.
In recent years we have seen some of the leaders of various churches
parading around in fancy clothes, being chauffeured in fancy cars and
building elaborate palaces they call churches while preaching
discrimination and rejection and placing barriers to people hearing
God’s word and giving Him honor and Praise because of some man made
rules. We see many Government officials supporting the rich and
worrying about corporate profits rather than the well being of the
middle class and the poor.
If only more government leaders followed the example of a rich man who
In spite of his human flaws dedicated his life to fighting for
equality for all and improving the standard of living for the poor,
our recently deceased Senator Ted Kennedy. He had deep concern for
equality and justice for the underdog, poor, aged and disadvantaged
and spoke out against the ravages of war. He attempted to live, in
actions, the beatitudes.
If only all our elected officials had that kind of commitment we would
have a much better world in which to live. We do not hear too many
speaking out about the injustices being perpetrated by governments
against the poor, aged, and sick but we hear support for leaders who
use war as a means of settling disputes. Wars that cause many
innocent people, children of God, to be killed or maimed.
Think about this passage in relation to the scandal that has destroyed
so many lives by predatory clergy and the exclusion of married and
women priests “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither
enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land
to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make
him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” .
Many religious organizations seek wealth far greater than they need to
maintain their ministries rather than using their wealth to help those
in need or helping poorer ministries serve God‘s children.
In the first reading from the book of Deuteronomy where the Jewish
people are being advised by Moses, “You shall not add to what I
command you nor subtract from it.” we hear a similar admonishment
about adding to God’s will with man made rules that prevent people
from worshiping God.
Where in the teachings of Christ is it forbidden for women or married
persons to be priests and deacons? NO WHERE! All the Apostles except
John were married. When did Jesus ever turn anyone away from him? The
answer is NEVER!
One of the greatest mistakes people make is that they fail to look at
the overall message of Christ but take passages out of context.
They fail to see the whole message of Mercy, Forgiveness,
Compassion, Love, Justice and fairness for all God‘s children.
Christ was sent to be the Light unto the world, a light to lead us to
the will of Almighty God.
Christ wanted us to be unburdened by the dictates of men. So why do
churches continue to make it difficult for people to know, love and
serve Almighty God ?
James’s letter in today’s readings clearly brings home the point of
what is most important in all these readings “ Be doers of the word,
and not hearers only…if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer,
he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was
like. But the one who looks into the perfect law of God, the law of
liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who
acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
Look at Christ’s list of things that defile God and compare them
against how people and the leaders of nations and Religious
denominations are living today.
They seem to always seek the upper hand, gaining profit at the expense
of others rather than having compassion for those in need. They use
deceit and lies to justify war. People are indulging in indiscriminate
sexual behavior rather than committing to loving relationships.
Merchants and advertisers use sexuality to sell products and increase
their profit margin.
One has to ponder where we are headed and how God is looking upon all
this and what He thinks about it.
We need to open our eyes and hearts to living in accord with Christ’s
teachings.
I believe the time is now for us to take a good hard look at the way
we are living and make a concerted effort to change our ways and begin
to live the Gospels not just preach them as today’s readings advise.
AMEN